Brothers
by resjudicata
Summary: A story about complex relationship between the two brothers (Ivan and Dmitri), set in historical context. Is it brotherly love, or hate, or maybe something else? They've certainly been through a lot together. Russia's POV (Main Characters: Russia, Male!Ukraine; other characters: Male!Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, Turkey, Sweden and others)
1. Chapter 1

**A/C:** the story contains genderbent characters: male!Ukraine (Dmitri) and male!Belarus (Nicolai). Russia character is also male. I have researched some historical data about these three in order to make it vaguely related to history, but please do not expect 100% historical accuracy, this is only a fanfiction. It's Russia's POV.

* * *

It was three of us for as long as I remember: Dmitri, the oldest brother; Nikolai, the youngest; and me, the middle one. My childhood was somewhat scary but not as dim as everyone likes to portray. True, violence and slaughter were always part of my narrative, but whose history is not filled with blood, can you tell me?

As I was growing up, I always looked up to my brother Dmitri, even though he is only slightly older and barely had more experience than I did. He stayed in Kiev – a nice place, with the wide river and pretty chestnuts. I did not live very long with him and was later sent to the North and there I saw deep forests, depressing marshes and snow, snow, snow…

Back then, I secretly hated Dmitri. I hated it when he towered over me, acting all smug and opinionated, as if he was somehow better than me, although we were roughly at the same level. As we rode our horses to my house, he always complained how gloomy my place looked.

"Your people look odd, you know", he said. "And they speak odd, too. What an alien land!"

I said nothing, as he continued:

"And it's much colder here. I thought Kiev was cold, but here it's freezing!"

"You haven't been to Novgorod, I presume" I muttered.

"Your people are way too conservative here up North. I have some advice for you…"

"Look", I interrupted, "if you don't like it, go home. I did not invite you here in the first place; it was your idea to come over."

Suddenly he looked worried: "I'm sorry, Ivan, I did not mean it that way. Please forgive me my rudeness." After that we rode in silence.

But during his next visits he repeated the very same complaints; as if it was my fault my place looked so rough and cold and that I wasn't as "cultured" as he was. And then he kept quickly apologizing when he saw me getting irritated. He often reminded me how cruel I was when I captured Moscow, a little town back then, and killed the local ruler to take control of the land. He liked to remind me of my cruelty, scolding me, and I hated the condescending tone in his voice. But it was your own advice, wasn't it, you bastard? Didn't you tell me that Kiev is too congested for both of us, that I must seek new territories up North? Weren't you the one who suggested I should capture these little towns hidden in marshes? You were the one who told me I must be more assertive. But I never said it out loud and Dmitri only shook his head.

He was a "bewitching" older brother, what can I say. Nicolai was much easier to deal with, because he stayed silent for the most part.

But I also knew Dmitri's other side – a gentle brother that he was. He told me that he acted superior only because I was younger and he needed to teach me lessons. "_You are special_",he used to say, "_I will be a good teacher to you and one day you will become very powerful"_. He told me stories about great princes and brave monks as we lay in bed, waiting to fall asleep. And then, when he thought I was already sleeping, he would kiss me on the forehead, sit beside my bed and pray to god for me.

Although Kiev remained officially the cultural centre, the North-Eastern principalities were becoming politically stronger and my economics expanded, too. Dmitri was blind, however: he still thought the Grand Prince in Kiev held all the power, even though the principalities quarreled with each other like mad. It was the time for _me_ to teach him lessons.

One time, I came to Kiev and brought my nomads with me. I have always been smooth in dealings with the nomadic people: they often obeyed me, but I never relied on them too much. My skills have probably helped me later, when I dealt with the Tatars. Dmitri, however, was too proud to have any business with the nomads, because he despised them. Aside from _Chorni Klobuky_,[i] his personal pagan guards, he thought that dealing with the other nomads was below his status. He relied on his pagans far too much though, and I suspect that _Chorni Klobuky_ were the first ones who betrayed him when the Tatars came. Little you knew, my dear Dmitri.

On the day of my arrival, my nomads and I sacked Kiev and burned it altogether. I already couldn't stand that city. I remember fire and cries of the children, and Dmitri was standing on his knees, his face, hands, and his clothes were black from soot, blood dripping from his shoulder. And he was crying and calling to me:

"Why, little brother, why do you hate me so much? This is not how I taught you..."

"I don't hate you," I replied. "I'm only teaching you a lesson. And your lessons – I don't want to hear them anymore. I've become more powerful than you, so you must stop telling me what to do."

"Maybe, I was a bad teacher to you then," he put his palms on the ground and lowered his head. He was praying, I thought. Couple seconds later, I realized to my disbelief, that he was praying for my soul.

"Maybe", I answered to myself, "Maybe you were not."

Later, I burned Kiev one more time. I probably crossed the line that second time, but it was already too late.

* * *

[i] Were a group of semi-nomadic Turkic tribes that settled on the frontier between the Rus states and the Pechenegs (and later the Cumans) during the 11th century and 12th century CE.


	2. Chapter 2

My memories of the Mongol-Tatar invasion are coated in mist. Back then, I thought everything happened too suddenly, but really, we all saw it coming. Some princes urged the principalities to unite and defend together, but most princes were too proud to fight side by side. And so their cities were sacked, one by one. I know that Dmitri and Nicolai refused to make the deal with the Tatars, unlike I did, and they paid dearly for that. Dmitri lost all his diaries, where he recorded the period after the invasion, so he didn't remember what actually happened afterwards. All he remembered was the day when he and little Nicolai woke up in the Lithuanian house.

Toris Laurinaiti turned out to be a kind host. As I knew him back then, he behaved like a thug and was still pagan. Yet, Toris was smart enough not to ruin the remnants of the Kievan culture and traditions. He copied the Kievan lifestyle very well and even began to fancy Chritianity, and neither Dmitri nor Nicolai were bothered by that. Toris and little Nicolai influenced each other when the later was growing up and I sometimes think that Nicolai is now probably more related to Toris than to me. But I will never confess these thoughts to Nicolai because I know he won't like that.

After the formation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Union of Lubin in 1569, Dmitri fell under the Polish control. But nothing was smooth between Feliks Łukasiewicz and Dmitri: Feliks thought Dmitri was an easy catch, but I knew my older brother too well and I imagined him causing some troubles to the Pole. Dmitri did not want to accept Catholicism. Feliks insisted that after the Tatar invasion, his house must feel like a blessing to poor Dmitri, who only nodded solemnly in response.

And so Nicolai was now with Toris and Dmitri became Feliks's subordinate. And I was left in the cold forest, completely alone, having to choose either death or the Tatars. And I honestly did not know which one was worse.

But later I actually considered myself lucky. I was officially thought to be under the Tatar Yoke, but it did not last very long. Tatars granted the patent to Muscovy to collect money from the other principalities, and it gave me an opportunity to become rich very quickly. I reorganized my political centres, and with the support of the Orthodox Church my state became stronger. All I had to do was to make regular payoffs to the Tatar-Mongols and they let me be. Eventually, I managed to shatter their stability and there wasn't much they could do about it. I was still bothered by their presence time to time, but it was no longer the same.

In the meantime, I was allowed to visit Dmitri on what was then Feliks's territory. Much to my surprise, Dmitri was happy to see me. He has changed, but not by much: his clothes appeared different, but it was still the same face I remembered from childhood.

"You look bigger and more confident, Ivan", he said proudly.

"And you look rather polonized. Enjoying Feliks's hospitality?"

"Do not start. Why are you here? I thought you didn't need my lessons anymore."

"My boyars and military leaders are illiterate. We lack good educational institutions at home. Can you teach me to read and write? Please, Dmitri."

"How can I refuse my brother?" his mouth stretched in his usual bright smile, just as I remembered. "Sit down, I will bring some books for you," he went to another room and I looked around. Dmitri's place was very modest. The house had low ceilings, small windows, some dusty rugs on the floor. The only bright piece was _rushnyk__**[i]**_embroidered with red threads lying on the table. Clearly, Feliks didn't treat Dmitri to any luxury. And yet, Dmitri seemed surprisingly lively somehow. I wondered what was the cause.

He returned with a pile of books and for the rest of the afternoon we set there, reading. I tried to pay attention to his lectures, just like I used to do a long time ago, but my mind kept wondering off. I watched his hands and his lips, how they moved. He looked beautiful but manly at the same time. No wonder Feliks wanted to have him.

"I must work in the fields today," he remembered all of a sudden, "Feliks won't be very happy if he finds out that I was slacking."

"You still haven't answered my question. Do you like living under his roof?"

Dmitri looked irritated. "What does it look like to you? I'm only his servant, Ivan. I work hard to serve _szlachta__**[ii]**_ but I will never be recognized as his equal. This union was my trap." Knowing that Dmitri has always been naturally proud, I felt how much this bothered him.

"And how is little Nicolai doing?" I asked.

"He's not little anymore, Ivan. And he's doing fine - Toris is taking care of him." I frowned at that. Some time ago, I thought Toris would become my friend. But signed me off as his enemy and we ended up fighting a lot. Because Dmitri and Nicolai were in their house now, the bastard and the Pole thought they actually have rights to Kievan Rus. I couldn't let that happen.

Dmitri was staring at his hands as he spoke. "I should be going." He looked up. "It was nice seeing you today, brother, please come visit again. And bring your bible next time. Mine got really old."

"Sure I will," I turned around and was about to leave, when suddenly I felt his arms on my sides as he pulled me into a hug from behind.

"Oh, Ivan, my little brother, tell me what should I do?" he sobbed against my back. I was not sure how to react to that, so I just stood still. "They have abolished our principalities, you know?" he continued, "My people are getting tired. But I'm not ready to fight Feliks, not yet. What should I do?" I turned around and cupped his face in my hands. It felt strange that we were of the same height now.

"Everything will be okay, Dmitri, do not worry. I promise to you that one day, I will defeat the Polish-Lithuanian union and will bring you and Nicolai back to my house. I promise."

I wasn't sure about what I said back then. But the hope in Dmitri's eyes added confidence. I already knew back then that I must unite the Kievan Rus lands under my name.

* * *

[i] Rushyk is a ritual cloth embroidered with symbols and cryptograms of the ancient world. They have been used throughout Eastern Europe in sacred rituals, religious services and ceremonial events such as weddings and funerals.

[ii] Polish nobility.


	3. Chapter 3

The Time of Troubles really shook the confidence in me: I was confused as to who to believe and whose side I should take. The False Dmitriys_**[i]**_kept appearing one by one, claiming to be my Tzar and I almost believed them, maybe because I wanted to believe in something.

I was starving from hunger because the crops failed that year. Of course, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth saw it as an opportunity to intervene and spread their influence on my lands. They supported the imposters to the Russian throne and claimed each new "Dmitriy" to be the true descendant of the great Rurik and demanded that I must submit to them. Feliks, Toris and the German mercenaries brought their troops into my house. The throne changed hands several times and I ended up in critical condition. Feliks occupied my throne in Moscow Kremlin and Smolensk; Berwald Oxenstiern took Novgorod; and Tatars, who could smell blood like no one else, rushed to kick my weak body yet again.

Dmitri was with them. My brother wore Cossack uniform and his horse-riding skills were quite impressive. He looked so handsome, like never before. Feliks was delightfully grinning at my misery and Dmitri only stood there by his side, with solemn expression on his face. I didn't blame them - neither Dmitri, nor Feliks, nor even Berwald. I let them in myself, because I was so tired of uncertainty and I just wanted to end this as quickly and painless as possible.

"So, Ivan, we brought the new Tsar for you, you should be grateful!" said Feliks.

"Yes, Ivan, it's good that you are cooperating. The less you struggle, the easier it will be for you", Toris played along.

But their triumph did not last very long. Finally, I regained my powers and drove all of them away. Of course, I had to make some territorial successions to the Commonwealth, but that's fine, I knew I will regain them later at some point. I thought the invasion only weakened me, but in fact I felt refreshed. The Polish-supported imposters were dealt with and I selected a new dynasty. I also knew that I must destroy the Commonwealth no matter what.

Sometime later, I heard that Ukrainian Cossacks were now sweeping the steppe below the Dnieper rapids, fueling the tensions along the southern border of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, much to Feliks's displeasure. I didn't remember Dmitri being like that before, not even during the Kievan Rus times (he was quite tough back then). But compared to the timid Dmitri I saw on Feliks's lands, he became rather unruly.

His Cossacks plundered the Ottoman Empire and I saw that his raids were driven by hate and retaliation. I remember Sadik writing letters to me, requesting to restrain my wild brother. I smiled and wrote back that my brother was not my subject and I have no power over him. Sadik then wrote to Feliks, and Feliks could not refuse his requests in the same manner, because Dmitri was formally his vassal.

Slave trade was not something unheard of for Sadık Adnan: Ukrainians, Poles, Lithuanians and even Russians often found themselves at his mercy. Dmitri practically lived at Sadik's doorstep, so he probably had it the worst. He was subject to exhausting labour and was "a plough and a scythe" of his owners. When he was unlucky enough, they made him work as a galley-slave. Once, I heard one of his slave songs. It was beautiful and terrible at the same time. Dmitri always had a beautiful voice, but I wished I never heard any of those heart-breaking songs again.

I also heard other things about Dmitri. Awful things that I did not want to know. I did not want to know that Sadik comes late at night and takes him to his house. I did not want to know that Dmitri saw the walls of his harem, nor what they did together behind the closed embellished doors - I did not want to know.

Even though he and the Ottomans were rivals, Dmitri's desire to rid himself of Feliks's domination was too strong. The treaties of cooperation that Feliks had to sign with Sadik made this desire even stronger.

"Dmitri, you must burn your boats. I don't want to see you at sea, raiding the Ottoman Empire," demanded Feliks.

"What makes you think I will do that?" replied Dmitri with a grin. And Feliks knew that he could no longer keep him on the leash. The massive chaos and retaliation finally led Dmitri to consider an alliance with Sadik against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

At some point, I met with Dmitri in the steppe and joined him as he rode to the _Sich_.[ii] He did not wear any coat, only a white shirt which looked way too loose on his thin body, and wide dark blue pants. I noticed he grew mustache and it kind of suited him. He was effortless when riding horseback, as if he was born in the saddle. His saber was attached to his side, gleaming brightly in the sun.

"You look dangerous, Dmitri", I giggled. "You never liked the nomads, but now you look exactly like one of them."

"Steppe is my soul, Ivan. I never realized it, but somehow I feel at home here." He smiled and I thought about how I loved his smile. I noticed another horseman galloping towards us. He looked younger and a little smaller but very stern.

"Nikolai!" called Dmitri. Nikolai slowed down his horse and approached us with caution. "Do you remember your brother Ivan?"

"Of course, I remember brother Ivan", said Nicolai. I could tell he wanted to smile but restrained himself for some reason. We dismounted from our horses and went for a walk. The grass was tall, almost hitting at my waist. Dmitri was chewing on a grass stem.

"I have seen you before, but you never spoke to me. Are you afraid of me?" I asked Nikolai.

"No. But then I wished that _you_ would speak to me instead," he suddenly stopped and hugged me firmly. "I'm so glad my brother Ivan is back with us. I missed you so much!" he exclaimed as he continued to hug me.

And so I stood there, feeling stiff. His eagerness was a little terrifying and his grip felt very strong for such a small body. But nevertheless, it felt nice. I haven't been held by my brothers for so long and I was actually grateful for his affection.

"Easy there, Nikolai," Dmitri spoke with a smile as he approached, hugging both of us from behind, "You don't want to scare Ivan now, do you?" he laughed. Dmitri's mouth was too close to my ear and my neck and I could feel him breathing against my skin, raising the hairs on my nape. Suddenly, the blood rushed to my lower abdomen, I felt hot and a slight groan escaped my lips. I don't think Dmitri noticed, but Nikolai certainly did. He looked at me, then suspiciously gazed at Dmitri and frowned.

* * *

[i] The pretenders to the Russian throne during the Time of Troubles who claimed to be Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich of Russia, the youngest son of Ivan the Terrible, after the real Dmitriy's death at the age of eight.

[ii] Zaporizhian Sich was a historical territory that existed between the 16th and 18th centuries. The region stretched across the lower Dnieper river. At one point the area was a condominium of both the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Russian Empire.


	4. Chapter 4

The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was still unable to negotiate peace and satisfy Dmitri's demands. Dmitri, like me, had strong allegiance to the Orthodox faith, but Feliks and Toris were Roman Catholic and their policies towards the Orthodox shifted from tolerance to suppression. Eventually, the Polish king refused Dmitri's demand to expand the Cossack Registry and it was the last straw.

In the meantime, Dmitri was excited about his new state – the Cossack Hetmanate, founded by his new boss. He created a simple system where he could freely elect his bosses. His state was still very militaristic and thuggish in nature, but he considered it romantic.

"This is called democracy, Ivan, I feel like a pioneer!" yells Dmitri, swinging his sable back and forth, his blue eyes bright with excitement.

"You look more like a hooligan to me," I noted and I bet Feliks would have agreed with me on that, "but whatever you say. It's pretty remarkable that you are doing this all by yourself."

"You are simply jealous, you little brawny autocrat!" He sneered. "This is just the beginning."

With Sadik's help, his army's last military escapades were largely successful, which greatly weakened the union of Feliks and Toris. Dmitri was in preparations for his victory march.

"Hayda na Kiev!"[i] he yells again, raising a cloud of dust as he gallops on his horse.

Dmitri and his troops entered Kiev on Christmas 1648. Everyone hailed his boss as the liberator from the Polish captivity. He made it clear to Feliks that his state now stretched all the way to Lviv, Chelm and Halych. This was a period of Dmitri's glory, something he will continue to dream about centuries later. It was the first and possibly the last time he felt so marvelous.

But I knew Feliks was not going to give up so easily. He negotiated with Sadik behind Dmitri's back, when they later fought at Zbarazh, and brought the khan to the Polish side. Things were not going so smooth anymore. Feliks forced Dmitri to negotiate peace and they signed the treaty in Zboriv, which was not exactly what Dmitri had hoped for.

The chain of his misfortunes continued when Dmitri and Sadik were defeated in the battle of Beresteczko. Sneaky Feliks jumped out of nowhere and hit Sadik right on the head. The later panicked and fled the battlefield, leaving Dmitri on his own.

"Where are you going? Come back!" called out Dmitri seeing Sadik dashing off on his horse. "Are you no longer on my side?!.." he cried in disbelief. His face and arms were covered in blood and dirt, his shirt was long gone and his hip was pierced by an arrow. It was raining again, everything was in mud and it smelled like smoke and blood. He could hear the clatter of metal, explosions and screams. All that he had was the sable in his hand, also covered in blood. "I can't lose, I can't lose," he repeated his mantra as he fought, even though he knew he was surrounded and outnumbered and that he must retreat.

Sadik was not the only one who betrayed Dmitri at that point; I was indirectly guilty as well. I used my connections to negotiate with Feliks and facilitated the creation of the Russian-Polish alliance against Dmitri's Cossacks so that Dmitri was left without the support of his Crimean allies. This was probably another reason for Dmitri to come to me later and seek my protection.

"I never suspected you would simply sit there and watch your brother struggling," said Feliks with a grin on his face, "I thought you and him were close."

"We are. But he became too powerful, even for you Feliks. After all, my interests are also at stake here."

"You are so rational, Ivan. I almost admire you. I must confess, I am a little afraid of you now."

"And you should be." I replied with a smile.

* * *

It was 1654, we were in Pereyaslav. Dmitri and a few other Cossacks came to negotiate a new treaty with me.

He wore his usual old clothes, nothing fancy. He skeptically studied my long overcoat with golden embellishments.

"I see you are doing well," Dmitry passed his verdict.

"And you look fairly beat up," I remarked. "I promise to you, as soon as you come under my protectorate, it will get better."

"We'll see."

We finalized the treaty later in Moscow and the Zaporizhian Sich became a suzerainty of Muscovy. For many years to come my big brother will greatly regret this decision. "I have lost my independence to you on that day," he would declare years later. "But I thought I was choosing the lesser of the two evils".

But then I thought (and still continue to think) that he made the right choice. He did not fall entirely under my control and still retained most of his liberties. Well, he did initially. I was able to appreciate that his idea of a state was not that bad, but it was not something that suited my picture of the perfect family. Dmitri lived in the present, while I liked to plan ahead. I suspected that Dmitri would not be able to sustain this shaky realm of his for too long.

* * *

In the beginning, I thought that the Pereyaslav treaty will stop the madness that was evolving, but the chaos persisted with the Russo-Polish war. Feliks calculated his chances and decided to show to Dmitri that he was not entirely unreasonable. He offered him to sign another treaty and they met up in Hadiach.

Two blond heads bent down studying the old battered map. The shorter man pointed his finger to some markings and spoke in smug voice:

"How about this: here will be the new Duchy of Ruthenia, which will include your beloved Kiev. And your boss can rule there as he pleases, as long as he is confirmed by my king, of course."

"Hmm… not sure about that."

"Fine. I will admit your heretic priests to my Senate," continued Feliks.

"Still not sure…" Dmitri spoke wistfully, stroking his mustache.

"I will give your Cossack leaders noble titles."

"Really?... uh, what else?"

"I will enroll 20,000 of your Cossacks to the Registry!" that was the last concession Feliks wanted to make.

"40,000." insisted Dmitri.

"30,000!"

"Deal," Dmitri liked to bargain.

"But no other troops are allowed without given consent, do hear me? And also, you must return the land you confiscated from my _szlachta_."

"Now that is uncalled for. What's done is done," Dmitri shook his head.

"I'm being already very generous with you, don't you think? And I will totally forgive you all the past crimes you've committed against me."

"Those weren't crimes. I was fighting for my own rights!"

"Whatever. So will you sign this treaty or not?"

All possible demands and compromises were on the table and Dmitri had to decide.

"This is still too little, too late Feliks," he said, "… but I will sign."

They put their signatures and sealed the new arrangement. I think that if the Hadiach Treaty was executed as both of them hoped, everything would have been different and Dmitri would have continued his existence in confederation with Feliks and Toris. Which meant I would have been precluded from seeing him often and perhaps we would have become strangers to each other eventually. I hated the idea of losing my connection to him. He was my brother and I felt that I was the only one who genuinely cared about him. Even then, I believed that we were destined to live together and this treaty represented a threat to my ideals. So I used all my powers to bring Dmitri under my sphere of influence.

But at that time, Feliks continued to hold his paws on the Right-bank Ukraine, while the Left-bank was now part of my Tsardom.[ii]

"Great. You and Feliks simply split me up in half. Well played, Ivan. Well played." The steppe was quiet at night, even crickets were asleep it seemed. The wind died out and only slight crackle of firewood disrupted the silence. Dmitri was smoking his pipe, thinking.

"It's not too late, you can go back to Feliks and form a wholesome union with him again," I said.

"No, even though Feliks has made some compromises lately, I don't think he is being entirely sincere. I still don't trust him."

"Do you trust me then?" I asked.

"I… maybe. You are my brother after all, so I trust you more. That's why I want you to be more assertive with Feliks."

"Like how? Do you want me to simply go to his house and knock him over?" I suggested jokingly.

"No, but you could at least try. I suppose you don't hate the Commonwealth as much as I do, but don't you want to get our lands back? They still got Nicolai, you know," he puffed out a cloud of smoke.

"And you still remain the same scheming git as before: do you expect me to go there, seize all the former Kievan Rus principalities and serve them to you on a plate?"

"That would have been nice. But isn't it exactly the same thing you'd expect from me? Further, I know that once you establish yourself on those lands, you will never give the Kievan Rus heritage to me. But you see, I'm not the greedy type, all I want is recognition," he pretended to be modest again.

"Dmitri, I cannot wage wars non-stop – that is you prerogative. You always get yourself in trouble; and this time, just look what you got yourself into."

"…right into the arms of my dear brother," he smiled. "You know, I still can't figure out whether you are the angel and or the devil himself."

"I'm a bit of both."

* * *

[i] "Lets go to Kiev!" (Ukr).

[ii] the name of the centralized Russian state from Ivan IV's assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547.


	5. Chapter 5

At the turn of the 18th century, my attention shifted to the Baltics. Sweden was acting as the supreme power in the region and it was the time for me to contest it. I could not forget Berwald's impudent move during the Time of Troubles, when he deprived me of the access to the Baltic Sea, which was really important for me now. Strong navy was my ultimate dream at the time. The Black Sea in the south was the territory of the Ottoman Empire, so it was out of question. But the Baltics were a perfect place.

In the meantime, Dmitri kept running back and forth between me and Feliks. Obviously, him and Feliks never getting along, he now planned to launch another uprising against Poland.

"Seriously, will this ever stop?" I said with a sigh when Dmitri entered my chambers looking all riled up.

"Easy for you to say. You are not the one who is forced to live in the two conflicting houses at the same time. There is an uprising in the Right-bank and I came to ask your permission to intervene."

"And why should I do that?"

"Feliks is being weakened by the invasions of Berwald. Now is the perfect timing."

"Fine, if you say so."

Dmitri was indeed successful and took over major portions of the land. Not that I was bothered much, but I wanted Dmitri to fight my wars as well, not only solve his own problems. After all, I was the one who got out of my way to offer him my protection and it would have been nice if he took care of my interests as well. Besides, I had a more serious problem to face now - Berwald.

But my conquest did not start well at all, especially when Berwald successfully fended my forces in the Battle of Narva. The General Winter was not on my side at that time: the wind changed and the snow blew directly into my face. Then Berwald showed up. He moved in two columns, quickly breaking through my lines. I felt sudden pain and cold which caused me to black out.

I came to my senses and found myself lying in the snow, unable to move my arms and legs; there was something hot on my face, it was probably blood. Berwald came closer and looked at me.

"And so we meet again", he said then. I opened my mouth trying to say something but couldn't because blood poured out of my throat.

"Too bad," he murmured, "Go home, Russia, there is no place for you in the Baltics," he said with grave expression on his face. He then stood up and walked away and I fainted again.

But I did not give up on the Blatics, not even then. I built new fortifications which later held up Berwald's raids. His further advances on my fortresses had little effect. In turn, I launched raids on the Swedish towns. Then I forced Dmitri to travel to Livonia and Lithuania to fight Sweden. He was not too happy about my decision.

"You are sending me away from home, forcing me to leave my territories unprotected. Poland and the Ottoman Empire will be there the minute I leave my porch!" complained Dmitri and I was getting fed up with his whining.

"My orders are not to be discussed. Would you please be so kind as to do what I say?" I gave him one of my fake pleasant smiles which he obviously wasn't fooled by. Sorry brother, but I protected you from Feliks and now it was your time to pay me back.

I put myself in charge of Dmitri's troops and employed German generals to help out. The roads were bad, my men were injured, but I felt the victory will be on our side. I was so fixed on defeating Berwald and securing my control over the Baltics that I no longer cared what price I should pay and how many men should die.

* * *

"He is ill-equipped to fight this war," said Ludwig glaring at Dmitri in unconcealed disgust. My brother was sitting on the floor in the corner of the room. His hair was dirty and his wounds were wrapped with bandages, but blood still appeared through the fabric.

"He is fine, just let him fight", I replied. "I employed you to be in charge, so be in charge."

"But his soldiers are dying like flies and his morale is getting low," Ludwig continued. So what? My own morale is shaken too, but I'm still standing.

"Just do your job, would you?" I told Ludwig and turned around to leave the room. I glanced at my brother one last time. Dmitri looked like a total mess and I probably should have had some mercy on him. But at that moment, my heart was locked inside the case and hidden in my chambers back at home. That's why I did not feel anything when I sent Dmitri back to the battlefield.

In the meantime, Berwald was preparing a campaign against me and planned to march to Moscow. In 1708, he helped to bring some puppet-king to Feliks's throne. Berwald intended to take Moscow advancing through Dmitri's lands. Feliks had plans of his own, so he composed a pretty letter to Dmitri: "Just letting you know that I'm now going to attack you and seize your lands!"

Once again, Dmitri rushed to me for help.

"Ivan, please give me the troops," he pleaded.

"I cannot spare any forces now, Dmitri. I'm fighting Berwald if you don't remember."

"But Feliks openly threatened me, aren't you going to protect me?"

"The moment I give the army for your needs, Berwald will be here in a second to take Moscow. I cannot spare any forces, period."

"After all I've done for you in this war, I can't believe you are refusing now! This is a violation of our treaty. Back in Pereyaslav, you promised to protect me from Poland, have you forgotten?" Dmitri sounded desperate.

"I already told you everything, you must understand."

He tried to get into an eye contact with me, but I purposefully avoided looking at him. He waited for a few more seconds, hoping that my answer would change.

"Fine. As you say," he said in defeat and stormed out of the room.

On the next day, they delivered the astonishing news: Dmitri defected to Berwald and was now acting against me. Unbelievable. I trusted him like nobody else; I probably trusted him even more than I trusted myself.

Still in denial, I traveled south to see everything with my own eyes. Maybe it was also my fault that he changed sides, but then I was blinded by the pain of betrayal. It was so sudden and unbearable that I completely lost it at some point. I horseback rode to Dmitri's capital in Baturyn and sacked the city in retaliation. Then I found Dmitri and clasped my hands around his neck.

"Ivan, it's not me, it's my boss..." he said but I did not let him finish his sentence.

"Your boss or not I don't care. I hate you now... I hate you, I hate you…" I croaked frighteningly in his ear as I was trying to suffocate him. When he got unconscious, I tied his body to a large wooden cross and threw him in the Dnieper River.

"That's another lesson from me, Dmitri!" I yelled, watching the cross with Dmitri's body on it floating down the river. "No one can betray me and get away with it! Do you hear me? No one! Especially you…" and I laughed like insane, tears running down my cheeks and under the collar of my scarf. Then I fell on my knees, realizing what I've just done. I jumped up and ran down, pursuing the course of the river, and tried to catch the cross.

"Dmitri, Dmitri, Dmitri…why did you betray me? Why?" I kept running until I was out of my breath. "You will pay for this, Dmitri, I swear. You will pay for this because I hate you!.."

* * *

Still shaking, I went home and started preparations for the battle that was now inevitable. The General Winter was at his best that year: the winter turned out especially cold in Europe, the roads froze, and the most rational decision was never to leave one's house.

Oddly, Berwald wintered at Dmitri's place. Learning about his intentions, I intercepted Swedish supplies and reinforcements to make his whereabouts at Ukraine as miserable as possible.

The snow kept falling non-stop for several days now. Berwald drank hot milk prepared for him by Dmitri (those were probably the last remaining food supplies that had) and they discussed how to maneuver their troops and launch a successful attack on me.

"I thought you had larger army," said Berwald regrettably.

"I'm sorry… it's just…"

"You are still hesitating," guessed Berwald.

"Uh… yes, I am." Dmitri sighed.

"He is your brother, I understand", said Berwald calmly. "But if we win," he continued, "I will give you independence, I promise."

"And if we don't?"

"We shouldn't. But if we are defeated, then… I don't know. I guess you will continue on as your brother's underling. Do you think he will take revenge on you?"

"My brother is not cruel... I don't believe he is."

"Judging by his recent actions, I tend to believe the opposite."

"You don't know my brother. My betrayal was the worst thing he could imagine happening. I really hurt him because he counted on me and I joined you instead."

"Then why have you allied with me?" asked Berwald.

"Because I wanted my independence and Ivan kept treating me as his servant. The longer I stay with him, the sooner I will lose myself," Dmitri sighed again and lowered his head.

Our troops circled around for months until June, when both armies met under Poltava. I dug numerous redoubts on the eve of the battle to make sure Berwald's defeat. And I won. Sweden was now open to my attack. But I don't think it was my tactics which decided the battle: it was Berwald's exhaustion and Dmitri's insecurity which led to the outcome. He cannot simply betray his own brother.


	6. Chapter 6

Latvia and Estonia stood there feeling awkward and terrified at my presence. Sillies. I'm sure we will be friends.

"So, my ships will be sailing the Baltic Sea from now on, I hope you don't mind?" I wanted to sound as polite as possible, but it might have created the opposite effect.

"Sure…yes…no problem… do as you please!" was the response.

"Wonderful," I said.

After Berwald's defeat, I eliminated his supremacy in the Baltics and secured my access to the Baltic Sea. With this, I finally represented the greatest power in the Eastern Europe, making France and England become a little concerned now. But nothing changed too much with my arrival to the Baltics and the transfer of power from Stockholm to my new capital in St Petersburg did not disrupt their daily lives.

As for my big brother, he was quite depressed after I crushed his and Berwald's armies. His betrayal definitely strained our relationship since I could no longer trust him. But I'm not the type who holds the grudge, and we had forgiven each other, it seemed.

My own boss, however, felt otherwise.

"We cannot have two rulers in charge of one state", said the Russian Empress, referring to Dmitri's boss, "One of us must go and his hub must be destroyed. Do you understand?" she looked at me.

"Yes, Your Majesty." I received the parchment from her hands and bowed.

* * *

…I drove back from Crimea after the successful escapades against The Ottoman Empire, which gave me a foothold on the Black Sea. I never liked him, never trusted him and always wondered by Dmitri even bothered to be his friend many years ago. Stepping over Sadik's former territories felt nice. But he Imperial order in my hands somewhat poisoned by victory.

I read the letter many times over and over, realizing the consequences of my task, and turned my horse to the Zaporizhian Sich, the core of Dmitri's pride and freedom.

I did not want any cold bloodshed this time. I had to convince Dmitri to surrender peacefully.

When I approached the gates, he was already waiting for me. I noticed that he no longer looked as feisty as he did before. Even his mustache was gone and he seemed somewhat indifferent.

"Hello Ivan, long times no see!" he greeted me.

"Good day, big brother", I answered as we patted each other on the back, and I noticed that the "big brother" looked much smaller now. Probably, because I grew bigger.

An awkward moment of silence followed, so I just handed the letter on to him.

He skimmed it quickly and passed it back to me.

"And?" he asked.

"What do you mean "and?" I mimicked his tone, "This is an ultimatum. Either you surrender and submit to the Empress, or…"

"Or?" he interrupted.

"You probably realize the likely consequences of your refusal - it is very clear, so stop acting oblivious," I said firmly.

"No, it is not clear to me," he took the letter back from me and pretended to read it again. "As far as I understand, she only wants me, "the unruly bachelor", to transfer to family life …blah-blah… "abandon our criminal ways"…blah…" he was acting silly again, resorting to theatrics and adding his own remarks to the written text. It was only later when I realized he was being hysterical.

"Would you just stop it already," I snapped. "You don't understand, the place is surrounded and I must raze it to the ground, so would you please just let me do everything as peacefully as possible…" but he did not let me finish.

"No, _you_ don't understand!" his mood suddenly changed as he thrust the letter back to me, anger and pain in his eyes. He wanted to say something else, but then timid side of him probably took over and he only muttered: "I will need some time to pack up," he turned around and walked away.

* * *

We burned everything down. The pillars of smoke and soot rose to the sky. It was already past midnight, but the fire was still alive. Dmitri sat leaning against the tree and stared at the giant bonfire hundreds of miles away. I stood nearby and wanted to come closer and say something, but I did not know what to say exactly and wasn't sure he wanted any of my sympathy.

Finally, I decided I couldn't just stand there and do nothing, so I approached and sat beside him.

"Brother, I…"

"Only when you eat a lemon do you appreciate what sugar is… Please, don't say anything."

He didn't even look at me, which made me feel guilty and awkward again. I was probably getting too soft.

"Can you… can you please hold me?" he said finally, his voice hoarse.

There was no need to ask me twice. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and rested by head under his chin. I could feel the warmth of his body and hear his heartbeat. Somehow his feelings transferred to me now: pain, anger, desperation, fear and apathy. Suddenly my cheeks felt wet, but I knew I wasn't crying. I looked up and saw Dmitri crying in silence.

"Dmitri! Please forgive me, brother…" I moved closer and cupped his face in my hands. "Dmitri, dear…" I stroked his blond hair, then his shoulders, and proceeded to kiss his temple and his cheeks, collecting the tears with my lips. Then I found his lips with my mouth and dragged him into a kiss: innocent at first, but slowly growing deeper and more demanding. His lips were soft and tasted like salt and I felt like drowning: I was drowning in the deep River and there was bright sky above me; it was bright blue, just like Dmitri's eyes. This probably lasted only a few seconds, until I felt his strong hand on my chest, slowly but confidently pushing me away. I came back to my senses and moved aside.

The rest of the night we spent in silence, just sitting there, shoulder to shoulder. He never mentioned that incident later and we both pretended that nothing happened. But I was afraid: it felt like I almost lost myself there. I did not want to fall into that river again, I was too afraid of drowning.

Certain boundaries should never be crossed.


End file.
